Holiday Cheer
by Canadino
Summary: It's the holidays! How will everyone celebrate? ONESHOT!


**Disclaimer: If Shaman King were mine, I wouldn't need to write fanfics.**

Note: Happy Holidays, and I hope this brightens up everyone's mood!!

Holiday

Lyserg Diethyl walked down the hallway, wondering if he'd ever seen Flame Inn this crowded. It had been a year since the Shaman Tournament ended, and peace had fallen in Funbari again. The house was crowded with people…he seemed to have lost count.

Anna and Yoh were obviously living there; their actual marriage was coming close, after the holidays. Horo and Ren were there, finally coming clean about their obvious attraction to each other. Okay, so it was only a tad weird that Horo was constantly flirting with the only known boy with no feelings, but that was what the Tournament did to you. Choco was still cracking bad jokes. Tamao had come to help celebrate Christmas, which was coming up in a few days. Ryu had also come, but after all, that pompadour-sporting shaman was a faithful follower of Yoh's. The Redseb and his sister were currently playing outside in the snow, along with Mikihisa. Faust and Eliza were somewhere…no one really knew where. The Maiden was in France, where she was looking for long lost relatives, the only one from the Tournament who wasn't at Flame Inn at the moment. And then there was him.

Hao. Yes, that very pyro shaman was also spending the holidays at Flame Inn. It had been a breakthrough when Yoh was able to reach out a hand to his twin brother, offering to help him. At first Hao had resisted and a huge battle had broke out, but in the end, Yoh had managed to convince Hao that humans weren't all that bad. Thus, Hao turning somewhat good and coming to help party at Flame Inn.

Somewhat good. Hao definitely wasn't at all holy when it came to more intimate things.

Yup, it was true. Only a few days after Hao had 'converted', the same homicidal Asakura had went up to Lyserg to apologize, and after the greenette had decided to forgive him, the former Shaman King pushed said greenette into a wall and started making out with him. It confused the dowser to no end until Hao decided to take a breather to explain his feelings. Lyserg had tried to protest that even though he had forgiven the Asakura, it didn't mean he _liked_ him that way. Hao had been quick to point out that there was a fine line between love and hate. Yes, Hao was rash and physical (this has many meanings), but there were also other more positive traits…ones Lyserg hadn't really thought through as he slowly 'converted' himself. Long story short, it was quite clear in Flame Inn that Lyserg and Hao were a pair. It was a semi-twisted sort of relationship, but then again, Horo and Ren had some explaining to do too, not to mention 'normal' Anna and Yoh. So the issue was dropped.

Lyserg sighed, wondering when the onsen would be free when he almost ran into a ladder protruding from the ceiling. He looked up to see that it lead to the attic. It was true he was on the top floor of Flame Inn, but all the times he was there, he hadn't realized there was actually an attic. Wondering who was stupid enough to leave a ladder hanging in the middle of the hallway where one might have an accident, Lyserg grabbed the last rung to push it back up when he realized someone might actually be up there. "Hello?" he called cautiously.

"Hmm?" Lyserg wasn't expecting his partner's voice to come back through the hole in the ceiling. He climbed up the ladder to see what Hao was up to.

As the dowser's eyes got accustomed to the darkness, Lyserg saw the figure of Hao, sitting back facing him. There was shiny wrapping paper all around him and various sized boxes. It was obvious Hao was up here in secret, wrapping Christmas presents.

Hao hadn't really known about holidays when he was his evil self, so now he obviously knew more than the average person. Yoh had graciously explained every holiday known to man to his brother, from Easter to Boxing Day. Hao had prided himself in knowing a lot about the world, and even though he still didn't understand the use of holidays, he wasn't going to do anything about it but rant at their uselessness. He turned from wrapping to face Lyserg. "Oh, hi Lyserg."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to see…" The greenette lowered himself down to give Hao his privacy when a hand reached out and yanked him back in the attic. Before Lyserg could get comfortable, Hao planted a wet one on his lips and pulled him to his side. Accustomed to this greeting, Lyserg sat himself down next to Hao.

"Lyserg, I'm wrapping stuff."

"Presents."

"Whatever. Christmas shit. Yoh said it's supposed to be a secret, but I think we keep a lot to ourselves, don't we?" Hao gave him a sly grin that could hardly be seen in the dark, but Lyserg knew it was there. "I mean, I don't think Yoh and the others knew what _really_ happened to all those spare futons…"

"What do you want me up here for?" Lyserg asked, cutting into Hao's speech, already feeling a blush creep on his face.

"I just wanted to show you what I'm doing." Hao wrapped one arm around Lyserg and pointed at the various objects around him. "I got some stuff for Horo and Ren at this little place somewhere downtown…and some stuff for us." He paused to laugh at his while Lyserg rolled his eyes. "This music's for Yoh, and this Easy Bake Oven's for Anna…"

Before Hao could continue, Lyserg frowned. "You're really getting into this."

"I know. But don't you get it? It's my first Christmas. I gotta make it big."

Lyserg hadn't realized that Hao had never celebrated Christmas. This fact was established when Yoh explained that Christmas was a time of giving and Hao had said, "Well, technically, it's a time for getting. All that giving's just a load of crap." Then again, he was evil and Japan wasn't a place where Christmas was widely celebrated. As Lyserg felt Hao's hand around his shoulder suddenly drop, he lost hope that Hao was really trying to have an innocent Christmas. Hao had weaseled it out of Horo that Christmas was actually a time for lovers in Japan.

"It's our first Christmas _together_, too," Hao said, smirking his usual horny grin. He buried his face into Lyserg's neck and was pushed away by the greenette. "Oh no you don't. I'm not going to have to explain my sudden fetish with turtlenecks again."

"Ren understood," Hao whined. Lyserg shook his head and Hao pouted for a moment more before turning his attention back to the presents. "Okay…so the platform shoes are for Manta…"

As Lyserg listened to Hao blabber on about the gifts, sometimes a little less thought out that others, he realized that the Asakura had changed drastically from before. He had known that the shaman's need for bloodshed had been replaced with a mere temper, but he hadn't realized Hao cared enough to actually get everyone something. Even if Choco's just happened to be gauze to stuff his mouth. Hao seemed to have read the greenette's mind, since the arm around the latter tightened.

"And the stump of wood is for Ryu," Hao finished, waving his arm at the block of wood. "What do you think?"

Lyserg glanced quickly over the pile and for a split second wondered why Hao hadn't mentioned his gift. Even though the greenette tried to act as if the thought never crossed his mind, Hao knew. The shaman could read minds, for crying out loud!

"If you're wondering where your gift is," Hao said sexily, leaning over to Lyserg. "I'm gonna give it to you right on Christmas, after I've laced you with eggnog."

Oh shit.

As Hao started trying to molest Lyserg, the greenette tried to move toward the ladder, but suddenly, it swung upward, causing darkness to fall upon the two of them. Anna's voice could be heard from below.

"Stupid guests, causing trouble everywhere…Yoh! Kick someone out!"

"Perfect." Hao suddenly seemed to appear on the dowser. "I think I can give you half of your gift _right now_."

OWARI…?


End file.
